Solitary Confinement and Prison Personnel: Emotional numbing as a response to work in extended restrictive housing.

This article examines the impact of working in extended restrictive housing (ERH)—a form of solitary confinement used to manage the most violent incarcerated individuals—on correctional personnel's emotional numbing. Drawing on a mixed-methods study involving a large survey and focus groups with Florida Department of Corrections staff, the research finds that ERH work is associated with greater emotional numbing compared to work in general population housing (GPH). Unique stressors in ERH, such as frequent exposure to extreme violence, self-harm, and manipulative behaviors, contribute to this numbing, which personnel use as a coping mechanism but which may adversely affect their mental health, job performance, and interpersonal relationships. The study highlights implications for prison social order, personnel wellbeing, and calls for further research and supportive interventions addressing the challenges of ERH work.